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It was criminally late at night by the time Kakashi got back to Konoha. He limped slowly to Hokage Tower, hoping someone was still on shift at the mission desk. All he wanted to do was to turn in his report, go home, shower, and eat something. Then, he might just sleep for the next ten years. How was it even possible that three of his last four missions had all been to Wind? He felt scratchy from sand, his eye hurt from the near constant glare, and he was more irritable than he could ever remember being. If his next mission was back to Suna, he was going missing-nin, he didn’t even care anymore. Let the Hokage try to keep this place together without him.
After climbing the stairs (and consigning each individual step to a burning eternity in perdition), Kakashi walked into the blessedly silent Mission Room. Thank fuck, somebody was on duty. He could turn in his report, get paid and get something to eat before crashing.
It was a chunin that was stationed at the desk, one he’d never met before. He must have been new. The young man was sitting ramrod straight in his chair, his hands folded perfectly in front of him, the strong desire to be professional exuding from every pore. It looked like even his vest had been starched and ironed. How adorable. Kakashi was in just the mood to poke the sleeping bear. Hopefully he would bite back.
“Hatake-san, welcome. I trust your mission was a success,” the chunin said, holding out his hand for Kakashi’s paperwork.
Squinting, Kakashi said, “Thanks, it was, like always. Do I know you?”
“Nope,” the chunin chirped, the scar across his nose wrinkling and dear god, he couldn’t even describe how cute that was. Paired with the perky ponytail, this chunin was deadly. He probably knew it, too. “But I know you. I was warned about you by the other desk workers.”
“Oh, really?” Kakashi purred, leaning his hip against the chunin’s desk to watch him squirm. “And just what did they warn you about?”
“Basically, you’re a hazard to all things pure and holy in paperwork,” the chunin stated solemnly. “You get your rocks off by terrorizing chunin and you read porn in public. That’s about all they told me, though.”
Kakashi sniffed. “Well, that’s just disappointing. They left out both the Sharingan and my killer smile.” He grinned behind his mask, and was gratified when the chunin snorted with laughter and tried to cover it with a cough.
Now blushing furiously, the chunin started reviewing Kakashi’s report, making clicking noises of disgust with his tongue and shaking his head the further he read. “I’m afraid this just won’t do, Hatake-san,” the chunin said, faux apologetically. “You’ve put the details for box A in box C and box D is missing altogether! I can’t submit this, it would be an affront against Konoha.” He pulled out a blank report and handed it to Kakashi. “Please do it again.”
“Are you absolutely sure that’s necessary?” Kakashi questioned, leaning over the desk so that he crowded the chunin’s personal space. “I’m sure an exception could be made, just this once.”
The chunin shook his head. “No, I can’t make an exception for you, Hatake-san. Then all the jounin would want one and that way leads to anarchy. Are we going to have a problem?” Slowly, telegraphing his actions so that Kakashi wouldn’t startle, he palmed a senbon from his sleeve and set it down on the desktop. Judging from the neon yellow liquid that sparkled from its tip, Kakashi knew that the small weapon was dipped in a strong anesthetic that could take down a horse - or a rowdy jounin.
The message was clear: Kakashi could either redo the report, or he could lose his temper, get drugged, and end up drooling in the hospital, where he would still have to redo his report. His shoulders started shaking with laughter; this feisty little shinobi had him firmly boxed into a corner. “What’s your name, anyway?” he asked, his visible eye twinkling with good humor. “I usually don’t get outfoxed quite this handily and I need to know who did it so I’m always on my guard in the future.”
“Umino Iruka,” the chunin said, reaching out his hand. “I just passed the chunin exam and I was placed here. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hatake-san.”
“Call me Kakashi,” replied the jounin, shaking his hand. The palm was calloused, but warm, and the fingers were strong. He liked it. Whistling, he took the blank forms from Iruka and started filling them out. He even made sure it was legible as a courtesy.
While he scribbled away, Iruka was tidying up his desk and gathering his few personal items, slipping them into various vest pockets. Only when Kakashi was finished, though, did the senbon get slipped back into its place in Iruka’s sleeve. “Thank you, Kakashi-san,” Iruka said as he scanned the fresh report. “This is perfectly adequate. Try to do it right the first time after your next mission so that I’m not forced to threaten you in the future. That could get tiresome.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kakashi countered slyly. “Threats can be fun in certain situations.”
“Jounin,” the chunin said under his breath, rolling his eyes. “They’re all crazy.”
Kakashi stood up to follow the chunin out the door, but accidentally overcompensated for his weak ankle and swayed dangerously. A strong shoulder wedged up under his arm and kept him upright until he got his bearings again. “Are you all right?” Iruka asked, his brows furrowed. “Should I call a medic?”
“No need,” Kakashi said, even though he also didn’t offer to move away from that sturdy body. “I’m just hungry. I wanted to get home, so I haven’t had anything to eat except a soldier pill within the last...day? I think?” he wondered aloud, looking at the ceiling. “Maybe two. I’m not really sure.”
“But that’s ridiculous!” the chunin sputtered, looking outraged. “You need to eat. I was actually planning to go to Ichiraku’s for some dinner before I went home,” he added shyly, that crimson brush spreading across his cheeks again. “I never made it to the grocery store today, so the only thing there is to eat at my apartment is my cat, and I’m saving her for more desperate times. Would you like to join me for some ramen?”
Kakashi thought about saying something flirty, like “I could be persuaded,” but decided not to push his luck. “Yeah, that sounds great, actually,” he said. “Ramen would get the damn sand out of my throat, and I would enjoy your company.”
“Great,” the chunin replied, his tanned face lighting up. “I’ll save you a seat.”
“Why would you need to save me...hey!” Kakashi squawked as the chunin body flickered them both to the hospital and summarily dumped him in a chair in the waiting area. “That was so unnecessary!”
“You were limping when you came in the Mission Room. I was willing to overlook it, but then you all but collapsed on me, and that decided your fate. Get checked out,” Iruka ordered, waving a nurse over. “The ramen will wait. Just don’t keep me waiting too long.”
“Yeah, well...that seat had better still be there and a bowl of miso ramen waiting on the counter once the ghouls are done with me!” Kakashi shrieked, arms pinwheeling wildly. “And I want all the toppings they have! Even the fish cakes! And you’re buying!”
Iruka gave a sarcastic salute and left the hospital, looking smug. The nurse came over from the front desk and looked down at Kakashi over her half-moon spectacles. “Well, Hatake-san,” she said, practically chortling with glee, “I must say that this is the easiest time we’ve ever had of getting you in for proper medical care. I do hope you make a habit of it.”
“Oh, I’m going to,” Kakashi muttered darkly, before giving up and meekly following the nurse down the hall into an exam room.
………………
Kakashi stormed out of Tsunade’s office, thoroughly irked and not bothering to hide it. A chunin saw him coming down the hall and immediately dove into another room rather than interact with him. Wise choice, maybe that one would survive the coming war.
He didn’t like the plan of sending the Naruto off to hide in Lightning; he wouldn’t do anybody any good there, and he was just starting to become useful! They could use someone with sage mode against Tobi and Sasuke. Tsunade agreed with Kakashi, but she had been overruled by the other kages, even Gaara. Kakashi heard something crashing through her window as he left the building, and winced. Better a broken window than a broken Izumo, he supposed, although Tsunade could probably heal wounds faster than another window could be installed.
The whole “hide Naruto away” plan was idiotic; it didn’t take into account any of the characters’ personalities.The first rule of winning a chess game was to know your pieces. While he could be dense, Naruto wasn’t stupid. He was going to find out that something was up, and then nobody would be able to control him. He’d go off half cocked and angry. Kakashi was well aware of the fact that his student tended to think things through even less than he normally did when he was angry.
If Naruto were staying with the army, he may still do something thoughtless, but they could at least guide him so that the damage wasn’t widespread. Or so that the damage was solely visited upon the enemy, which Kakashi definitely preferred. Now Naruto was basically an exploding tag and nobody knew when it would go off. Kakashi didn’t like having something like that at his back. He liked even less that Iruka would be exposed to all that damage, hidden away on the Raikage’s secret training place. And then, on top of everything else, Naruto wouldn’t even know his former teacher was there. Not only could Iruka not be where he was actually needed, which was with the army, but he would be totally isolated until someone needed to pull him out of their back pocket. It would drive him insane.
“You look like you’re angry enough to set your own hair on fire.” A wry voice cut right through Kakashi’s temper, and he looked up and saw Iruka sitting on the bench that he’d started to think of as theirs. Iruka patted the space beside him. “Come sit with me before you hurt someone. What’s wrong, anyway? I mean, other than the fact that the whole world is at war and we’re all going to die.”
Kakashi flopped down and groaned, rubbing the Sharingan beneath his hitai-ate. “I can’t tell you. You’re going to find out soon enough, and then you’ll want to help me set something on fire. The kages as a whole are insane,” he growled. “The most goddamn, useless assignments…total waste of personnel...”
Iruka snorted. “Kakashi, I already knew that I wouldn’t be sent to the front lines. I can handle myself, of course, but being offensive isn’t my strength. I figured that they’d keep me here in Konoha to watch over the children.”
“Well, you’re not too far off,” Kakashi muttered. “Still, don’t underestimate yourself, Iruka. You think I fake all that sweat when you and I train together? You’re a creative fighter. You never do quite what I expect.”
“Thanks, but that’s not necessary. I know my value, Kakashi, and I know that I’ll be placed where I can do the most good.”
“Yeah, but…” and Kakashi suddenly knew that this was why he was really upset, “you’ll be far away. I’ll be at the front and you...well, you won’t.”
Iruka turned to face Kakashi, and his brown eyes were so, so soft. “I know,” he said quietly. “I don’t like that either.”
“What if something happens? What if you’re attacked and nobody is there to help you?” Kakashi fretted. “By the time I could get there, it would be too late.” He shifted uncomfortably on the bench, panic churning sour in his gut.
“You don’t think I worry about the same thing?” Iruka replied, his voice tense. “I probably won’t be anywhere very dangerous, but you? You’re Sharingan No Kakashi, the Copy-nin, master of a thousand jutsu! You’re going to be right in the thick of it, facing who knows what out there.” He threw up his hands. “Anywhere there’s danger, that’s where you’re sure to be. It terrifies me to think about it, Kakashi.”
Kakashi seized Iruka’s hands, those hands that he first admired at the Mission Desk and now knew better than his own. “I’ll come back, Iruka. I’ll swear it to anything you want. If it’s within my power, I’ll come back.”
“See that you do,” said Iruka sternly. “And don’t keep me waiting.” Then he pulled his hand free, yanked the cloth face mask below Kakashi’s chin, and drew the jounin down into a kiss. Iruka’s lips were soft and he tasted like miso and Kakashi was sure that he was drowning. He didn’t mind. They moved together effortlessly, tasting, nipping, exploring in all the ways they’d ever dreamed.
Finally, taking quick breaths through their noses ceased to be enough and they broke apart for air. Neither could bear to be separated from the other, though, and they gently leaned their foreheads together, panting. “Promise me,” Kakashi whispered between gasps. “You promise me now.”
“I’ll come back, too,” Iruka swore, pressing soft kisses to Kakashi’s trembling eyelids, then another on the tip of his nose. “I don’t want to die, not now when things are finally getting good.”
“Soooo good,” Kakashi moaned, tucking Iruka under his chin and smelling his hair. “Why didn’t we do this ages ago?”
“I honestly couldn’t tell you,” Iruka said, snuggling closer, “but it’s clear that we’re both morons.”
Just then, Kakashi’s Anbu tattoo started to burn and he swore, knowing that he was being summoned. “I have to go,” he said, looking at Iruka like he wanted to devour him. “They’re calling me. I don’t know when I’ll be free again.”
“I know,” Iruka said, smiling sadly. They stood up and kissed one more time, gently. Neither wanted to admit that it might be good-bye. “Meet back here when everything’s over?” Iruka asked, motioning to their bench.
Kakashi smiled. “Maa, of course. Save me a seat if you get here first, sensei.”
“Always.”
Unwillingly, they drew apart, Kakashi going back to Hokage Tower, and Iruka to his apartment. By the next day, the bench was empty. The world was marching to war.
………….
Kakashi pulled a black suit from the back of his closet, relieved beyond words that they weren’t his Hokage robes. He hated the damn things, and they were even more torturous to wear on summer days like this. By the time he got to the venue, though, it would be almost evening, and there was a cool breeze blowing through Konoha. He would be comfortable. And the hat! Thank fuck that the stupid Hokage hat would also be staying behind, hooked on the back of a kitchen chair. After all, a wedding was no place for him to be Lord Sixth. Tonight, he would be simply Kakashi-sensei.
A pair of tanned arms snaked around Kakashi’s waist and a scarred nose nuzzled the middle of his back. “Hey, budge over,” Iruka griped. “You’re blocking the closet and other people need to get dressed too, you know.”
“Hmm, are you sure?” Kakashi said, gripping Iruka’s wrists and keeping that firm body locked against his back. “I don’t think we need clothes for what I have in mind.”
“Somehow, I don’t think Naruto would appreciate the father of the groom being late because he was having a quickie,” Iruka said, his voice softening when he said father .
“Wouldn’t be a quickie,” Kakashi muttered, but he stepped aside obediently. He wouldn’t needle Iruka too much, not today.
Iruka pulled another black suit from the other side of the closet and stepped into the bathroom. “Hurry up and get dressed, ‘Kashi,” he admonished through the door. “I’m determined that you’re going to be on time for once. Nothing and no one is holding up this wedding!”
“Technically, they’re only getting married because I gave them permission,” Kakashi said as he slipped into the suit’s undershirt. “Rank hath its privileges. They can’t exactly start without us, father of the groom .”
“Still. I know you aren’t aware of it, but there is such a thing as common courtesy,” floated from the bathroom. Next came the sound of Iruka struggling to wrestle his thick hair into a ponytail, but he’d locked the door, so Kakashi couldn’t even maul him like he wanted to without causing property damage. Not that he minded property damage, per se, but Tenzo would be cranky if he had to fix anything else around their house for a while. Perhaps the collapsed staircase had been a bit much, but Kakashi had no regrets. That had been a particularly enjoyable evening.
When they were both ready, they walked to the public park where the ceremony was going to be held. Both Naruto and Hinata were nuts for plants; their little house had already been landscaped to within an inch of its life. It only made sense for them to be wed in a garden. Ino had been only too happy to help them plant new paths and beds, making the park even more beautiful for the entire community. It would bloom with Naruto’s and Hinata’s wedding flowers for years to come.
Kakashi helped Kiba and Shino set up the last few chairs and then re-knotted a bewildered Shikamaru’s necktie. He looked up from that and saw Rock Lee pushing Gai’s wheelchair over the grass and went over to help, joking with his old friend about the springtime of love and the joys of passionate youth. “So when will we see you and the charming Iruka-sensei joined together in marital bliss, Kakashi?” Gai asked, his white teeth gleaming.
“Maa, Gai, you know I never mess with a good thing,” Kakashi said inward glee. Actually, he and Iruka were already married. Tsunade had performed the private ceremony in her office, Naruto and Sakura the only witnesses. They were planning to announce the marriage once Kakashi stepped down as Hokage, when the danger to Iruka would be lessened.
After Gai was settled, there was the cake to be moved to the food table and a bevy of bridesmaids to be herded and Kakashi generally made himself useful while Iruka fluttered around anxiously, trying to be everywhere at once. Finally the music started and everyone moved to take their seats.
“I have to wait back here for Naruto,” Iruka whispered. “Save me a seat?”
“Always. I’ll be right up front,” Kakashi said with a hidden smile. He squeezed Iruka’s hand and went to sit down. He watched Hinata float down the aisle, incandescent with happiness, and saw Naruto’s face, brighter than the sun. Then Iruka slipped into the seat to sit beside him, tears rolling down his face. Kakashi thought that he had never seen anything so beautiful before.
…………..
Sitting in their yellow kitchen in the house near the forest, Kakashi leaned back in his chair and admired how the sun highlighted the silver in Iruka’s hair. Despite his age, Iruka was moving smoothly between the fridge and the stove, chopping things on the counter and stirring a stock pot while he hummed. It looked like he was making hot pot, and Kakashi’s stomach growled in anticipation. But then, that was an awful lot of ingredients for just two people. “Are we having guests and you haven’t told me yet?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes,’ Iruka replied, humming as he diced an onion. “And don’t even think about complaining! We haven’t seen Anko and Kurenai in ages. I want to hear how Mirai is doing, and Anko has been lonely since Ibiki passed away. A night out with friends will do her good.”
Kakashi shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. Ibiki was the first of their friends to die outside of a war, from age rather than from wounds. He still was a little unsure of the rules for living in a world where people could die of old age. “Well, that sounds fine,” he said, attempting to cover the uncomfortable silence. “It’ll be nice to see them.” He saw Iruka pull a bundle of carrots from the fridge and moved to join him, pulling a kunai from his sleeve to do the dicing.”Anybody else coming?”
“No, just them,” Iruka said. “I know better than to push your social interaction too hard. It took you a week to recover after Naruto and Hinata’s anniversary party.”
“They invited forty people!” Kakashi shrieked, jabbing at the air with his kunai to emphasize his point. “Whose bright idea was it to invite as many people as the years they’ve been married? It’s madness!”
“Kakashi, as the kids would say, you’re an old fart,” Iruka said witheringly before he leaned up and pressed a kiss to Kakashi’s nose. After forty-two years of marriage, he was finally comfortable going maskless in the privacy of their own home. “But I love you.” Iruka moved to go back to the stove, but Kakashi grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him in for a much more thorough kiss. Iruka finally pulled away reluctantly, muttering about the food burning, and turned around to grab a ladle off the counter.
It was a good thing Kakashi was standing so close. He saw Iruka’s face whiten beneath his usual golden tan as it drained of blood, and was able to catch him before Iruka’s head cracked against the white tiled kitchen floor.
After days at the hospital and multiple consultations with Sakura, the diagnosis came back. It was a genetic disease, common in Mist where Iruka’s parents were from. Kakashi made an urgent kage to kage phone call, but the answer from the Mizukage’s doctors stayed the same. The disease was fast and there was no cure. All they could do was control Iruka’s pain as his body failed him. With nothing else to do, Kakashi took Iruka home to die in their own bed.
Over the following weeks, Kakashi never left Iruka’s side. A parade of all of their students filtered in and out with their casseroles and their flowers and kind words. Iruka greeted them all with his usual gentle smile and interested questions, but Kakashi sat in frozen terror. He had contemplated Iruka’s death before, but he usually imagined it happening on the battlefield, or possibly even in the classroom. There was no one for him to fight, no way to get revenge.
He never imagined that they’d grow old together, but they had. They had built a peaceful life together in Konoha, watching it grow from a village into a city under the careful guidance of first Naruto, then Konohamaru, and now Sarada. He’d also never thought that Iruka would die before him. Kakashi was the former Anbu, the sixth Hokage, the one constantly in the public eye and forever caught in someone’s crosshairs. He’d always been thankful for that before, glad that he could drawn any malevolent attention away from Iruka.
He didn’t know how to exist in a world that didn’t hold Umino Iruka.
On the last night, Iruka and Kakashi laid together on their bed, softly stroking each other’s faces and exchanging quiet words. They could hear the muffled conversations and little sobs coming from the living room where their adopted family waited and watched for the end, but it didn’t trouble them. Iruka had already made his goodbyes, predictably holding the longest onto Naruto. “I’m sorry I was unkind to you at first,” he apologized, the ache of old regrets visible in his brown eyes. “I’m sorry it took me so long to really see you. You were just a little boy and you were hurting so much. It wasn’t fair.”
Naruto squeezed Iruka’s frail hand gently, his own still so strong from the Kyuubi. “I don’t even remember a time when you weren’t my nii-san,” he said, tears rolling down his whiskered face, “so don’t think anything more about it, okay? You’ve been….everything. I don’t know what I would have become without you, Iruka-nii.”
“I do,” Iruka said. “You would have become a wonderful man just the same. Your heart was too kind for anything else. I’m so proud of you, Naruto.”
All that was done now, though. This time, the last time, was for Kakashi. “Do you remember when we first met?” Kakashi said softly into the darkness.
Iruka snorted. “It was my first day on the mission desk, and the other workers hazed me by making me wait for you. I was terrified. Everybody knew what a pain in the ass Hatake Kakashi was, and I didn’t know if I could stand up to you or not.”
“I had no idea,” Kakashi said. “You were so quick and sharp. I was yours before we even left the room.”
“It took you long enough to admit it,” Iruka grinned. “The most affection I could get out of you between then and the war was saving me a seat at Ichiraku’s.”
“Maa, sensei, that was a big step for me. Don’t you know how emotionally stunted I was? I’m amazed we made it past that first year of marriage. Anybody else would have smothered me with a pillow and buried me in the woods.”
“Don’t think the thought didn’t cross my mind,” Iruka said with a wink, “but you have other qualities that tipped the balance into keeping you. And I’m so glad I did, Kakashi.”
“Me, too.” Kakashi’s throat was thick. “Will you save me a seat, now? Just until I get there?”
“Always,” Iruka said, wiping the tears from Kakashi’s cheeks. “Just don’t keep me waiting.”
An hour later, softly, quietly, he left to do just that.
………….
Slipping back into his jounin uniform made Kakashi feel more real than he had in the six weeks since Iruka’s death. Every day since then had been a new lesson on the nature of pain. The closet still held two sets of clothes, although half of them were getting dusty from disuse. A blue toothbrush that was never wet sat next to a green toothbrush that saw frequent use. One side of the bed was always cold, and Kakashi shivered no matter how many blankets he piled on top. A long, fresh grave slowly settled in the backyard next to a line of smaller graves, the remains of Kakashi’s various packs through the years.
He hurt. He was no stranger to pain, but this was different from the innumerable injuries he’d suffered throughout his career. This pain had no end.
Tonight, though, would maybe hurt a little less. Tonight he was going to Ichiraku’s to meet Team 7 for dinner, and Kakashi was actually looking forward to it. He patted the pockets of his vest to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, then stepped out the front door and carefully locked it behind him.
Scorning the newfangled trolley cars Sarada had installed in the roads, he walked across Konoha to get to the restaurant that was in the corner of the city now known as the historic district. Historic! It had only been rebuilt shortly after Pein’s destruction, and that wasn’t so very long ago, was it? If the restaurant was historic, Kakashi shuddered to consider how he was seen by the youth of today. Of course, most of them only saw him as a face on a mountain, a myth to be learned about in school. He fervently hoped that his love of Icha Icha hadn’t been modestly left out of the history books. A little spice never hurt anyone.
When he got to Ichiraku’s, he was greeting by Naruto’s enthusiastic waves from their favorite counter. “Kakashi-sensei, over here!” he called, his face alight with happiness.
Kakashi had given up on getting this little group of three to stop calling him sensei long ago. To them, he would always be the invincible, exasperating Copy-nin, and he liked it that way. “Am I late?” he asked mildly as he sat down on the stool.
“Of course you are,” Sasuke said.
“Sorry,” Kakashi said, happy to be in this familiar pattern, “but you see-”
“We know, we know,” Sakura said, rolling her eyes. “You got lost on the road of life.”
“Something like that, anyway,” Kakashi said, eye-smiling at her. Sasuke snorted and handed Kakashi a pair of chopsticks, deftly using his own with his one remaining hand.
The waitress that came to serve them was new and obviously overwhelmed to be speaking with two former hokage and the parents of the current one. Ayame’s daughter, Momoko, who now ran the restaurant, saw the waitress’ fluttering and shooed her away, taking their orders herself. The foursome ate their bowls (Naruto twice as much as the rest of them put together) and talked with all the ease of long friendship and mutual experiences.
They spoke of the bell test, and their frustration at being unable to beat Kakashi. They remembered all the D-ranks, and Tora the cat. They remembered the war and raised their cups of sake to Neji and Asuma. The three teammates spoke of their pride in their children, and Kakashi sat back, listening. Iruka would be so proud of them all.
Finally Naruto stood up and stretched. “I’ve got to get home now,” he said regretfully. “Hinata and I are watching the grands for Boruto and Sarada tomorrow, and I already know that they’re going to run me ragged. I’ll need a couple of shadow clones just to keep up.”
“Dobe,” Sasuke sneered, intentionally winding Naruto up. “If they’re too much for you, Sakura and I would be glad to take them off your hands.”
“No way, Sasuke!” Naruto howled, bristling. “You get them next weekend!”
Sakura and Sasuke moved to leave as well, but stopped when they realized that Kakashi wasn’t following them. “Aren’t you coming, Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura asked, her white hair gleaming until the lights.
“Maa, I think I’ll stick around for a little bit longer,” Kakashi said, saluting her with his sake cup. “I’m not ready to go home quite yet. You go on, though.”
“Okay, then. Have a good night.” She leaned over to brush a kiss over Kakashi’s cheek and following Naruto out. Sasuke stayed for a moment, though, and gave Kakashi a long look. Kakashi held his gaze. Finally, Sasuke nodded, and walked away.
Alone and unobserved, Kakashi pulled a small vial from his vest pocket. He tipped it over his sake cup and watched the odorless, tasteless powder dissolve in the alcohol before tipping the cup back and swallowing the contents down without hesitation.
He said goodbye to Momoko, asking her to give his regards to Ayame, before leaving the restaurant. He stayed in the historic district, though, and walked into the park where Naruto and Hinata had been married. Eventually, he came to an old red bench secluded on a hidden path, a bench that was carefully maintained by first Tenzo, then Moegi.
Kakashi sank down onto the bench with a grateful sigh, his bones creaking. He tilted his head back and looked up at the stars, unpolluted by light this far into the park. He was warm now. He could think of Iruka and not feel like he was gasping for breath. He could simply remember and be happy.
He closed his eyes and breathed once, twice, and then his chest stopped rising. He never liked to keep Iruka waiting.
…………….
In a place far away, a place filled with light, Iruka arose from his spot on a different bench as Kakashi walked up to him. Iruka’s face was smooth and young, but Kakashi was glad to see that the scar across his nose was still there.
Iruka stepped up and took Kakashi’s hands. “Look, Kakashi,” he said. “I saved you a seat.”
Kakashi smiled. “I know. You always have. Thank you for waiting for me.” Together, they sat back down again, their hands clasped tightly.
There was no more pain.